Didn't expect to take this long to post this. Been super busy with other projects and work. Enjoy this little filler chapter! After this, things will start moving and getting a lot more serious. Thanks for reading and reviewing!


Chapter 7

"I'm not really hungry, Ash."

He didn't fight her even though he knew she was starving. May sat with her feet up on the living chair by the window, staring at the nothingness of night. Placing the white carton of rice and noodles on her coffee table, he picked up his own plate and began eating. He took big bites of the late night food while walking towards the window.

"You know, this isn't that bad for takeout. The rice is perfectly seasoned." He tried making small talk but she was off in her own world, worried and shutting everything around her out. The outline of her face showed off the woe and harm Drew's disappearance was causing her. Not once did he see this side of her when they were together. Sure she had bouts of nervousness, but she'd always pull through; more often than not, without his help.

Seeing her like this, though, shook him inside a little. She was exuberant. She oozed confidence. None of it broke through the wave of depression that had befallen her. It was a terrifying notion being unable to help a dear friend in need. He finished the last of his food, set it aside, and leaned against the window with his arms crossed. The gleaming lights of the stars and buildings took away from the depressive atmosphere in the room. What could he say to cheer her up? Any words he told her wouldn't be able to get through; wouldn't even make a dent in the wall she put up.

"That wasn't the Drew...He's not the same person.." She quietly said to him.

"Neither are you..." He muttered under his breath. Running a single hand through his thick hair, he lowered his arms and walked over to the second chair next to her. "What makes you say that?"

Without looking at him, she started listing the things she noticed about their confrontation early in the evening. "He kept tapping his finger on the table and kept looking around a lot, like he was expecting something or someone to come inside the restaurant." Her hands ran up the sides of her shoulders as she sank deeper into the beige chair, sighing into the dim night. "His eyes looked so foggy. It's like he wasn't even fully there." Once again she stared off into space, sniffling and turning away to hide her tears.

Ash listened intently and tried to piece the information she gave together. None of it made much sense without proper context. According to May, he was fine before they left the hotel. It was only after meeting at the restaurant that things became muddy. What could've happened in between that time apart?

Foggy eyes...tapping fingers...

Rubbing his forehead only exasperated his tiredness from cleaning Clemont's Gym earlier. There just wasn't enough relevant information to come to a conclusion, only wild speculations that held no merit whatsoever. "Could've it been some sort of drug he took?"

May snapped away from her own mind and looked at him, puzzled at first but then contemplative. "He only has painkillers for his lower back. He didn't bring them on this trip, though. He said he was feeling better and didn't need them anymore." She plopped her head back against the headrest and faced the ceiling.

"Care to tell me why he needed them?"

Slowly, she rolled her head to the side and again looked at him skeptically. "What are you trying to do, Ash?"
"Trying to distract you." He leaned back into the chair and brought his hands to the armrests. "Remember, we used to talk all night and it calmed us down."
"That was a long time ago, Ash. Things have changed so much." She brushed her long hair back with her fingers and closed her eyes.
"All the more reason for us to catch up."

His aloof response was met with even more skepticism from her sapphire eyes, yet she reluctantly sighed and spoke. "We were on a trip through Sinnoh, right after his win at the Johto Grand Festival. He thought it'd be fun to hitch a ride on a Mamoswine on our way to Snowpointe City." She reached for the white carton of food on the coffee table while continuing her story. "Everything was going fine until a group of Sneasel decided to jump out from the bushes and dart in front of our Mamoswine."

"And that made him fall?" He asked as she bit into the pieces of meat with great fortitude. He wasn't surprised in the least to see her feast on the meal. She hadn't eaten anything the entire day except for a few snacks from what Serena told him. And like him, she enjoyed eating a home cooked dinner but their skills in the kitchen were abysmal. Who knows if she improved but one thing was for sure, neither of them could cook like Brock.

"Yup. He was sitting behind me and couldn't brace himself when Mamoswine bucked up." She sipped water from a bottle in between chewing pieces of her food and saying words. "He landed flat on his back on a small pile of rocks."

"Rocks? I thought you were riding through snow?"

"We were still by the entrance when it happened. So, yeah, not a good way to start the trip." For the first time that night he saw the smile of the old May.

He chuckled right along and from there on they conversed on the numerous adventures each of them had. May evolved her Eevee to a Glaceon on the very same trip, as well as a few of her other Pokémon along the way. Not once did he sense misery about their uncoupling in her words. She mentioned all the great restaurants and various landmarks around the world she had visited on her travels joyfully, almost like she had forgotten the past few hours.

For his part, Ash begrudgingly told her about his tough losses in the Sinnoh and Unova Leagues, his encounters with a bunch of important figures, and meeting all kinds of new people and Pokémon throughout. He avoided telling her of the dark, depressive state he went through the first few months on his journey through Sinnoh. He even contemplated returning home because he was losing sleep for numerous days and just wasn't giving it his all in the few battles he had. Each battle was won by the skin of his teeth and gave him the confidence to keep going. If not for himself than for his Pokémon. They were the ones that truly battled their hearts out while he regained his old form.

It took almost a year to really move on and by then he had won six Sinnoh badges and was no longer traveling alone. Those thoughts ran in the background as he kept on smiling and laughing along with her, trying so hard to keep the mood light and free of drama. His plan was working, though. They acted like old friends because that's exactly what they were. He had no interest in sparking a romance that had died down years ago. All she was to him was a dear friend that he regretted losing touch with. The night didn't make up for all those years, but it felt nice to reconnect.

Their little conversation went on for a few hours more as they continued to swap stories about family members and old faces they came across years ago. Soon, they were both leaning towards sleep. May stayed curled in a ball, head leaning on her knee and the comfortable support of the chair. He supported his head with help from the armrest, legs crossed and peering over to see if she had fallen asleep. He couldn't see much with little to no visibility in the dead of night.

"Hey, how did you and Serena meet?"

Her question caught him by surprise and immediately washed away any tiredness left in his body. He perked up from his slump, cleared his throat, and thought of a good way to phrase his response.

"We..we actually met when we were little kids in Professor Oak's camp. I didn't recognize her at first when we met here in Kalos. She saw me on television and sought me out." He scratched his chin and avoided looking at her directly. Although, the dark did help in that regard,

"Do you mean when you were on top of Prism Tower?"
"You saw that?"
"Everyone did, Ash. It was a huge news event. My parents even called your mother to see how she was doing."
Her remark surprised him quite a bit. Along with losing touch with May, he also lost contact with Norman and Caroline. It was a shame since they were the first to approve of their relationship and encouraged their journey together. After it ended they were extremely disappointed and that stung the most. He respected Norman and Caroline was like a second mother whenever he visited them in Rustboro. He wouldn't have guessed they would check up on him after all the years that passed.

"Personally, I'm not surprised. It's totally like you to risk your life for a Pokémon in danger." May continued, stretching out her legs and withdrawing them back to her body.
"Yeah, well, we started talking, she joined our group, and things went on from there." He hoped to end the conversation sooner rather than later without going into much detail.
"I can tell she really likes you."
"She's great. Every day with her is just another fun adventure." A smile came to his face at the moments he and Serena shared. There weren't many but the few days they had to each other were very special. "The last time I was this happy with someone was...well..with you." The words were automatic. He trailed off towards the end, getting really quiet at the realization of what he just said.

"Oh...that's...that's nice to hear.." She went dead silent just as he did and didn't bother to hide the astonishment in her voice.

Uncomfortable tension arose from simple words and completely changed the atmosphere in the room. He couldn't take it back and somehow he was glad of that fact, but maybe it wasn't the appropriate time to admit it. He quickly tried to explain himself before things got out of hand.

"What I meant by that..is..I mean.." He was a whiz in battles at overcoming a mental block but off the field was another story. No matter how hard he tried, a good explanation was near impossible to find.
"It's okay, Ash. It's great to hear you two are very happy. She's a lucky girl."
"Uh, thanks, I guess."
"Clueless as ever." She giggled and stretched once more.

He took this opportunity to redirect their attention back to sleep and the renewed search in the morning. "I think we need to turn in for the night. Don't want to be too tired when we find Drew."

She stood up from her curled position on the chair and navigated through the dark room to her bed. Ash yawned and stretched his tired body before making himself comfortable again. His eyes shut almost instantly and he felt himself slipping away. The feeling went away once he heard May speak from behind him.

"Thank you for being here, Ash. It means a lot."

He sat up and looked over the chair to see her sitting on edge of her bed, pale moonlight giving her a rather subdued glow. For some reason, seeing her in that state was oddly alluring.

His mind conjured up a treasured memory of when they were kids. He was suddenly surrounded by a number of trees and a beautiful lake gently flowing with the wind. Sitting at the edge of the water was a young girl looking at the magnificent stars above, only breaking away to acknowledge his presence. Her radiant smile greeted him as he moved closer. The serenity of nature paled in comparison to the mesmerizing sapphire eyes that captured the feelings of love, peace, and happiness.

Reality had a way of hitting harder each time he escaped his own thoughts. For a split second he forgot where he was and what he was doing. The silhouette of a much older woman than the one he just saw came into view and he swallowed hard.

"No, yeah, it was good talking with you again." He managed to get out. His head and chest began pounding. He felt disoriented and wasn't sure what caused it. For now he chalked it up as sleep deprivation.

May scooted up into the bed and settled in. "Okay..good night, Ash."

"Good night..." He said before gingerly turning around and staring at the wooden surface of the coffee table. He was panicking at his own thoughts and feelings, unsure of what to make of the whirlwind of emotions. On one hand he was glad to talk to May again. On the other he felt bad leaving Serena alone and having these recurring thoughts of his past relationship.

Leaning forward, Ash rubbed his tired eyes and heaved an enormous sigh. He often thought of himself as being more aware of his emotions than before but apparently there was still a giant hurdle he needed to get over. Whatever the case, it was important to keep his conscience in check to avoid any sort of conflict.

He sunk back in the chair and closed his eyes once again. Through the silence, he heard the lowly breath of May sleeping and found comfort in knowing she was out for the night. Hopefully they'll find Drew and things could go back to normal. He'd go back on his journey and put these persistent sentiments to rest. There was no telling, though, what morning would bring.